TRENTON — State officials have taken steps to ensure South Jersey is prepared for its next big storm by clearing the way for $3 million in Federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds for the region.

State lawmakers on Tuesday announced the funds, which allocate $1 million each for Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.

The money is intended to help communities improve their ability to respond to future emergencies, but also may be used to help improve overall energy resilience and sustainability.

“We are thankful for this collaborative effort with the state to ensure that South Jersey has the resources and the intelligence in place to deal with an emergency by improving efficiency and responsiveness,” Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said. “Protecting our residents is our first priority.”

Sweeney announced the grants with Assembly Deputy Speaker John J. Burzichelli and Assemblywoman Celeste Riley.

County coordinators will work with local municipalities to prioritize regional and local resiliency measures to address the state’s most vulnerable areas, to better protect lives and property and to help ensure continuity of critical services, and enhance the reliability of infrastructure in future storms.

“Being prepared and being able to anticipate is what helps keep our residents safe,” Burzichelli said. “These funds allow us to focus on the future with the necessary infrastructure investments.”

Riley said the lessons of past storms, including Superstorm Sandy, have been realized.

“The greatest lesson that Hurricane Sandy taught us is that there is no way we can over-prepare when it comes to keeping our residents safe from disasters and emergencies,” she said.

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